Nothing screams Louisville, Kentucky like a falling-apart KY hot brown on a Derby weekend. These “hot brown” sliders were a surprisingly huge hit at my most recent KY Derby party, and reheated so well the next day. They do require a little more prep work, but were super tasty and worth the extra few steps.

Do they really mimic the classic KY hot brown? Debatable. Will I make them again anyway? Absolutely.

Here’s my slightly-personalized recipe for KY Derby-style hot brown sliders.

Ingredients you’ll need:

• 10ish slices of bacon
• 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cups of shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup of cream cheese
• 20 oz of pimentos
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• sliced smoked turkey
• 3-4 tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
• 12 sweet Hawaiian rolls
• celery seed, salt, and pepper to taste

Prep your bacon ahead of time by cooking 8-12 slices on the stove or in your oven. I like to do this step in the oven first, so I can prepare the next few steps while the bacon cooks.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, add your 1/2 cup of cream cheese, 2 cups of sharp cheddar, 20 oz of pimentos (the original recipe calls for 14 oz- I always add a little extra pimentos though), 3/4 cup of mayonnaise, celery seed, salt, and pepper. I add about a 1/2 teaspoon of each seasoning and then add more as needed.

Mix to combine. You can do this step with a mixer, but I prefer to just do it by hand.

Slice your sweet Hawaiian rolls in half, hamburger-bun-style, and place the bottom halves in a baking dish.

Cover each bottom half with a spoonful of your pimento cheese mixture.

Next, top each bottom half with a layer of sliced turkey, sliced tomato, and bacon. I eyeball this step, but it works well to aim for one folded slice of turkey and one slice of tomato per roll. I use 8-10 slices of bacon for this step as well.

Take the top halves of your Hawaiian rolls and spread another spoonful of your pimento cheese mixture onto each. Place the top halves onto the bottoms to form your completed sliders.

In a separate bowl, melt your 3 tablespoons of butter and mix together with 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard.

Brush the mixture onto the top of your completed sliders. Top with shredded parmesan cheese.

Cover the sliders with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Optional– You can let these cool slightly and then garnish with sandwich picks, but I find they are deliciously messy and therefore best served straight from the dish with a spatula or spoon.

These sliders make a great dinner option or contribution to a potluck-style event. They travel well in their own baking dish and can be reheated again. I got several compliments on these and will definitely be serving them again at my next hosted event.